A Little Bit of Sewing

It seems like my entire life recently has been consumed with writing, publishing, and marketing my book. Now that it has been released into the wild I have been able to find a little bit of time to get out my grandmother's sewing machine (mine is broken) and fiddle around a bit. I had a bunch of half-square triangles that I had started when Iw as talking a quilting class about two years ago for my "first" quilt. I hated the pattern and didn't love the class so I never finished. I decided to take them and make them into pinwheels because I adore the fabrics.

I took the rest of the fabrics that I'd originally had picked out for this quit and started some Pinwheels in the House blocks as designed by Kaye Prince. I love the idea of these blocks. I kept my log cabin strips thin instead of sizing them to my pinwheels like Kaye did in her quilt, just because my pinwheels are huge and I'd end up with like four total blocks in a quilt. I still love how it looks.

While I sew I like to put on a movie - but it has to be one I've seen a lot so it doesn't distract me from what I am supposed to be doing. One of my favorite go to sewing movies is She's the Man with Amanda Bynes...don't judge! I love Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and I think this is one of the most faithful adaptation of it - and it's funny! And highly underrated.

Do you have a favorite go to entertainment while you sew?

Fabric Love

Looking for the e-book giveaway of Jennifer Becton's Absolute Liability? I am giving away 5 copies and there is still time to enter. Just go here or scroll down!

I've been thinking for awhile that I want to make Maddie and James quilts for their toddler beds. Having a young boy and girl in the same room presents some decorating challenges, but luckily Maddie is pretty tomboy-ish, so she doesn't insist on princess or pink. We are going with a sort of baseball/vintage/americana/country theme and I really want the predominate colors to be red and white (Go Angels). I've been looking and looking for a fabric line that I could use for both their quilts (as in not too girly), would coordinate with each other, and were predominately in red & white. No luck. But look what Sweetwater is coming out with!

This line is called Hometown and I think it is pretty much perfect! They have charm packs, fat quarters, and yardage for sale at the Fat Quarter Shop and I think I will be buying some! Cannot wait!

It's Coming! The Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

The Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day is a semi-annual tradition in which crafty bloggers from all over the world giveaway handmade items and sewing/knitting supplies on their blogs all on the same day! It is so amazing! This will be my third time giving something away on Giveaway Day, so make sure to stop by on the 23rd and enter my giveaway! I will have a handmade item AND some supplies! You'll also want to check out all the other blogs that will be participating, they get posted on the Sew, Mama, Sew blog the day of the giveaway! There is also still time to sign up if you want to giveaway a handmade item, supplies, or both, on your site!

What I Did For National Quilting Day and a Giveaway!

March 19th was National Quilting Day (it is the third Saturday of March) and as I haven't done any sewing in months (gee, I wonder why), and I haven't had a chance to set up my sewing stuff here at the new place yet I thought I'd at least start moving my fabric bins into the correct location.

I am planning to use this walk through closet for sewing . . . isn't it cute?!

It is also the hottest part of the condo because the heater is in a secondary closet inside it - yes, a closet within a closet! It is basically the walk through area between our bedroom and the master bath. The bedroom has a regular sized closet, and I just do not have enough clothes to need a large closet. My other problem is I don't have a table to put in here yet to put my sewing machine on . . . however, I have now moved all my bins and other paraphernalia into the closet/sewing room.

(Maddie and James rifled through my bins, wasn't that helpful of them?)

And in the process I managed to break my toe! Yes! Note to self: bare feet + pushing bins of fabric + door jam = extreme pain! This is not the first time I've broken this toe - you would think I would learn!

I have not been able to put on shoes, or go anywhere, or sew (also missing in the move seems to be my rotary cutter) since the 19th.

Also, I feel like I haven't posted anything sewing or crafty related in ages, so to make it up to all you lovely sewing gals, I thought I'd have a little giveaway from my stash (partially inherited) in honor of my new soon to be sewing closet and the fact that it is spring!

Up for grabs I have 1 yard and 2 fat quarters of this lovely spring-like fabric. It is from a 2006 line from RJR fabrics called Bungalow. I think it looks very California Craftsman and really pretty . . . I have two fat quarters of the pink flowers (with some green and yellow designs) on cream, and 1 yard of the green print.

To enter just leave me a comment telling me where in your house you sew . . . or your favorite thing about spring . . . or pretty much anything you'd like!

If you'd like some extra entries you can leave one comment for each of the following:

1. Follow my blog.

2. Comment on another post.

3. Follow me on Twitter.

4. Tweet about this giveaway, make sure to include @narniamum and a link to this post, you can use this wording if you'd like:

Enter to #win the spring fabric #giveaway on @narniamum http://bit.ly/gEk8ad

5. Share another way (blog post, email or Facebook status) just leave me a comment for each that you do!

I will keep this giveaway open until Saturday, April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. MST, and it is open worldwide, so everyone please feel free to enter!

This giveaway is now closed, thank you for entering!

Oops, I zapped!

Moving is a lot of work.

Moving when you are sick is even more work!

So far since January we have had a cold, a new cold, the rotavirus, and now back to colds!

But we are here in Montana . . .

Getting settled in and figuring things out.

It's snowed three times, mostly just flurries that melt a few hours later.

I discovered that if you leave your laundry detergent in the car it will freeze. I mean it makes sense and all, I just didn't think of it.

It is so dry, our skin is itchy and our hair is standing on end. Everything you touch results in a mega electric shock - the crackly blue lightening arcing from one person to another type of static shock. We all look like Emperor Palpatine blue lightening the heck out of Luke Skywalker, except that we can't control it and it usually takes us by painful surprise. Maddie keeps saying "Oops, I zapped!"

And oh, happy day, I discovered yardage of my favorite ever Robert Kaufman print in the bottom of my fabric stash. This is the fabric I used for the Maddie/Jamie's crib bedding and I didn't think I had anymore of it. But now I am torn, use it for something or save it in case there is ever a baby #3? Cause I love it. Desperately love it.

Any opinions? Hold out for a baby? Make some pretty summer clothes (in white, yeah right) for Maddie? What else could I do with this gorgeousness?

Vintage Sheet Freedom Bee

I don't get enough to time to sew because:

a) I work all day
b) I have two toddlers
c) I am too tired/lazy to stay up after said toddlers go to bed
d) all of the above

If you answered "d) all of the above" then you are correct!

Also, it is a bit difficult to sew when you turn around to iron a seam and turn back to find this:







I call him my little bobbin winder . . . not sure what will kill him first, me or the fall.

Notice his sister in the back looking on in approval. "You have learned well young Padawan."

So, I joined in the Vintage Sheet Freedom Bee that Deb from Works in Progress is organizing (um, this is my like fourth post in as many weeks that has mentioned Deb, I promise I am not a stalker). I sent out all my sheet pieces awhile ago, and have 11 little envelopes of sheets waiting for me it sew up into lovely blocks.

I decided to make a Bonnie Scotsman, which I have never done before but seems pretty straightforward . . . all of my "piecing," such as it is, has heretofore been basically just squares.

I couldn't find instructions in the size I needed (12x12 finished) so I was forced to do the math myself.

It was very truamatic.

Because I am a nerd I made a graph.








And because I am a nerd of the highest order I then made 12 copies of the graph so I could pencil in the fabrics I am using for each person's block, and write their name at the top.

My first test block was with my fabrics. I am pretty much running low on any of the pieces that match what I sent out, so I was kind of limited in what I could place where in the block. I am hoping to be able to do some more strategic fabric placement with the future blocks.

I will not even tell you how long it took me to do this between work, toddlers, laundry (two 8 load washers full, I kid you not), Jamie climbing on the table, various tension issues with my new machine (I think it's that I am using a 1/4 inch foot that doesn't fit right because I'm using the one from my old machine as the one they sent me with the new machine doesn't FIT!), etc. . . but it may have been two days.







(Please excuse the horrible lighting, my sheets are not, in fact, yellow.)

It seems to have gone ok except that I cut that side rectangle a bit too thin! You can see the top square extends out past the rectangle piece and is the right size! I may replace it with different fabric, we will see. It will most likely be fine when I sew all the blocks together (it looks bad but it's less than an 1/8 of an inch difference), but we will see . . . luckily I messed up on my own block and can correct in the future!


So, yeah. I got one block sewn. Um, I have 11 more to go . . . but I think they will just fly along now that I know what I am doing. . . . hope springs eternal in the heart of Jessica.

A Present a Week {'Til Christmas}

Ok, you may be thinking, Christmas . . . what? But I am telling you people it is closer than you think! There are 17 weeks until Christmas! 17 weeks may sound like a lot, but it isn't really, it goes so, so, so fast!

Deb over at Works in Progress is doing an awesome um, what would youc all it? sew-along? craft-along? present-along, called a Present a Week 'Til Christmas. This is week 8, but you can jump in at any time, and you don't have to do a present a week, it can be a present every two weeks, or whatever you can manage.

You can follow along here . . . and if you post your projects on Sundays you will be entered to win a 1/2 metre of fabric from Deb!

I have been working on my sewing list . . . I also have several projects that are pending, so I have to add those to my to do list as well!

Also, way too many people I would be making gifts for read this blog. So I am going to be posting only my list for the kiddos!

Both Maddie and James:

Christmas stockings

(still owed from last year)

Christmas scarves

(pre-Christmas deadline so they can wear for pictures with Santa etc.)

Special Christmas quilts

Maddie:

Coca-Cola Skirt

(still pending from last year as well!)

Pooh Bear scarf

Pooh bear zippy pouch / purse for her figurines

James:

"Wheels" scarf

Hat

Boy zippy bag

(he likes holding mine when we go to the store)

So here is a little sneak peak of something I am working on to complete my list, there are actually multiples of these being made for people other than James, but he was my test subject.

Look at that little chubby hand, I love it!

Something that is really going to help me in getting all my little lovelies sewn is my brand new sewing machine! Oh yes! That is right! I ordered myself a gorgeous new machine and it shipped today!

:::happy dance::: :::happydance:::

I can't wait to share it with you all when I get it! I am going to be such a happy little sewer, I am going to have to be ripped away from it to eat, work, sleep, etc. And omg, did I tell you I got liek 7 extra feet? All the quilting feet my little heart could desire? I can barely breathe!

PS: Don't forget to enter the Nicey Jane giveaway, it ends tomorrow!! I am so excited by all you new followers I've bribed into being friends with me ;)

Nicey Jane!

I love Nicey Jane . . . really I do.

Or at least I think I do I have never ever actually seen it in person.

Seriously.

I have just drooled over pictures of it online.

And pictures of lovely, lovely things other people have made with it. People like Holly at Bijou Lovely who made this modern baby quilt:

Um . . . I think I stopped breathing there for a moment.

And this gorgeous quilt:

Oh, the prettiness! I want it.

Actually what I really want is to make myself a quilt using Nicey Jane and some of Kaye Prince's pieced center string blocks.

It might kill me with it's awesomeness, but really what a way to go . . .

. . . what was I saying?

Oh!

I ordered some Nicey Jane!

Oh yes, I did!

And you should too because Lola Pink Fabrics is having a sale. A really, really good sale!

You so need to check out their site, and their blog. They have piles and piles of prettiness just waiting to be bought by you. The sale right now is insane! It really makes it easier to justify spending money on my little sewing habit when the fabric is on sale . . .

So, um, I got 14 1/2 yard cuts.

14!

Fourteen!

Ten and four!

Wait a moment . . .

Ok, breathing again! Whew!

And if you are very, very nice . . . I might give some away! Oh my gosh, there I said it!

Check back next week and I will share the Nicey Jane love with you!

Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day

Oh! I am so excited to be participating for the first time in the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day! If you found my blog through Sew, Mama, Sew! then welcome! I am so excited to have you visit!

I have two lovely (well, at least I think they are lovely) giveaways for you today!

The first is this handmade-by-your's-truly, zippered pouch!

The outside is a blue/brown damask print, and the lining is brown with blue polkadots. I love ruffles, so I used the lining material to add a cute little ruffle on the outside of the pouch.

The inside of the pouch includes a small pocket, just big enough to hold an i.d. or some cash. The bag itself measures 6 inches by 7 1/4 inches. I would call this a small makeup bag, but I don't tend to wear a lot of makeup, so take that with a grain of salt. I think it goes without saying that my i.d. and makeup are in the pictures for demonstration purposes and are not included in the giveaway . . . but I will say it anyway.

The second giveaway is this lovely fabric:

The first is a fat quarter from the Mary Rose Collection for Robert Kaufman. I love this fabric. Seriously, I coveted it forever, and then was so excited to snag some for a really good price. When I went back a few weeks later there was only a yard left on the bolt so I snagged that too . . . I almost don't want to use it because it's so pretty!

The second is a fat quarter of a really pretty cream, green, and rust pattern that I bought a few weeks ago, I don't know the designer.

Third, is a fat quarter from Sandi Hederson's gorgeous Meadow Sweet Line for Michael Miller. The lighting is not doing this fq any justice, the green is such a beautiful vibrant light green.

So what do you need to do to enter? Just leave me a comment! If you want to only say "Pick me! Pick me!" that's up to you. Or you can tell me how awesome you are, or how awesome I am . . . No, I'm not fishing ;)

If you would like a second entry follow my blog and leave me a separate comment telling me that you did (or that you already follow).

Thanks and good luck!

Make sure you check out all of the other great giveaways listed at Sew, Mama, Sew!

The technical stuff:

This giveaway is open to international entries . . . I like sending stuff all over the globe, it makes me feel like we should all hold hands and sing It's a Small World.

The giveaway will start at 6 a.m. PST on March 17th, and run through 11:59 PST on March 20th. I will pick two winning comments by random selection. The winners have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing information. I will send out the prize items by May 24th. If the winers do not contact me within the allotted time, new winners will be selected.

Edited 12:00 AM 5/21/10

This giveaway is now over. Thank you all so much for your entries!

I made out like a bandit

I love, love, love, love online giveaways. Honestly, I am not sure that four "loves" expresses it adequately. I am totally that girl, you know - the one that does all of the extra entries. The crazy thing is I am insanely lucky at winning bloggy giveaways! I prefer to think of it as me putting in the work (all that tweeting and following and blogging) and therefore stacking the odds in my favor, but others would just call it dumb luck. Whatever it is, I'll take it!

So, I thought I'd show you a little bit of the loot I've been snagging, I swear these are just some of the things I've won in the last two months, don't hate me!

Clips from Sweet Harper. Yes and yes! I wanted these for Maddie like nobody's business. I will definitely chalk this one up to doing the work. I can't tell you how many Sweet Harper giveaways I entered, so many that Tracy at Sweet Harper (also very sweet herself) commented on me always popping up on giveaways. I refuse to be ashamed ;) So, um, are these gorgeous or what? Seriously, folks buy 'em for your little girl, buy them for yourself, buy them for me (*cough* birthday in June *cough*).

Birthday shirt for James from Mimi's Babies. Adorable! He is going to have an Angels baseball first birthday and is this not the cutest thing for him to wear? And look at that, it's only May and I already know what my kid is wearing for his June birthday - I don't think I can handle being this prepared. Mimi's Babies has personalized birthday shirts and adorable crocheted hats.

Vintage Sheet FQ's. Gorgeous! Won them on The Vintage Sheet Blog grand opening. They are from April at Jane Says. They are beautiful, they are gorgeous . . . Grammy looks at them and says about one "Oh I have this sheet." I nearly died. Grammy won't let me cut it up though so yay for me snagging a piece of it anyway! As it turns out something is getting made from these this week! Stay tuned!

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. I am such an Austen nerd . . . when we went to the JASNA 2008 AGM, Ed looks around the main shopping/poster presentation room and says "Oh, I get it! It's like Comic-Con for Austen." And oh my lord it really is. I digress! I'm a nerd, I love Austen, I love Austen paraliterature, I love that I won this book, and I love that it is signed by the author. And there it is, on top of my vintage sheet FQs just waiting to be read . . .

7th Generation Cleaning Products. Is it wrong that I am this excited about cleaning items? But look at this! I won this! Melissa at Getting All My Ducks in a Row was having the giveaway, I kept meaning to enter it but was without a computer and on my phone, and seriously what a lot of work on an iphone . . . but I entered at the last minute, I think I was like the third from last comment, and I won! This is literally a super amazing win. Super amazing.

So, these are all great right? I mean, better than great, like killer awesomesauce great. But you are not going to believe this! The lovely Kelly at I Have a Notion was doing this insane month long daily giveaway for her shop anniversary. I won a very cool quilt pattern. I also entered to win an Accuquilt Go! Fabric cutter. I even blogged about it for extra entries.

And

I

Won

You could have knocked me over with a feather, and not even a big ostrich feather, like a teeny tiny hummingbird feather would have done the trick.

Here it is in it's box . . . James is doing his best Vanna White.

Omg, you are not going to believe this, it is almost shameful, but it is still in that box! I didn't want to open it when we had to move right away, I was afraid it would get injured somehow! But now that we are moved I am going to open it right up and go crazy . . . well, I do have one more thing to do before I can start cutting to my little heart's content . . .

Get ready for:

That's right! The Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway day! I am participating this year by giving something away! Last November I won a kick butt book on patchwork from Sew, Mama, Sew! on giveaway day! This year I hope to win from some lovely fellow bloggers, and I am excited to be able to share the giveaway wealth!

What am I giving away you ask?

I can't tell you!

It is a secret!

Stop by Monday, May 17th to find out!

Fabric lovelies and a super secret

Tragically, Tall Mouse in Cerritos, California is closing . . . but every cloud has a silver lining (or so I am told),

and my silver lining was 50% off discounts!

Look at some of these lovelies I picked up.

Bad iphone photos I know, but let's not be critical.

Why yes, that is a Joel Dewberry print there on the right side.

And yes, I did pay $2.50 for a yard of it.

You heard me. Jealous?

Hmmm, more prettiness. Ok, to be honest I got the green and brown Robert Kaufman polkadots and the blue damask and brown/blue polkadots at M&L the same day, but why be technical?

The point is I got tons of fabric yardage, some fat quarters, some zippers, and some thread, and this really weird easter egg on a stick that Maddie insisted upon getting and then promptly threw out of the car window at South and Carmenita - all for $48! Hello!

So what ever could I be doing with fabric and zippers and thread?

It's a big stinkin' secret!

Shhhhhh!!!!!!

You'll find out soon enough peeps!

Ok, probably already some of you know,

but let's pretend you don't so we can enjoy the mystery shall we?

Maddie's birthday party - Pooh Bear extravaganza

Event of the season . . . that is what everyone is saying about Maddie's 2nd birthday party . . . ok, not really. But it was the event of my season at least (Jamie's birthday is technically in Summer by a few days, so that will be the event of next season), so I thought I'd show you a few pictures of Maddie's Super Sleuth / My Friend's Tigger and Pooh Extravaganza.

We had a bean bag toss, except the bean bags were these bees:

Cute, yes?

And you had to toss them into these bee hives (bee hives designed by Daddy, and bean bag toss provided by Grandma Ruby) :

My aren't we clever!

We had honey Teddy Grahams in Pooh and Friends cups . . .

And Pooh Bear giving Piglet a hug. Pooh and Piglet were tragically popped in a wrestling match featuring Maddie and Danny . . . luckily Maddie found it hilarious.

I was so excited to be able to find Winnie the Pooh tablewear at Big Lots!

And Party City had matching balloons!

Present tables are always pretty! Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Joe had tickets to a hockey game, so they came early to help decorate. Uncle Joe turned out to be quite handy with the crepe paper!

Maddie was very excited by all the Pooh decorations!

Maddie's birthday party - part one!

My little Miss Maddie turned two yesterday, and on Sunday she had a My Friends Tigger and Pooh Birthday party! We had a grand old time. Right before the party she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and took a header into the open car / car door jamb and ended up with a spectacular shiner. We got to go hang out at the ER for awhile, thank God Auntie Liz and Danny came to help corral the babies because I was there by myelf with two rambunctious convicts intent on escaping. Luckily it was ruled just a bad bruise.

I made Maddie a Winnie-the-Pooh birthday skirt from some blue Pooh fabric she had picked out and some yellow bumble bee fabric I got in the Sew Mama Sew! FQ swap from a lovely lady named Kristin. I probably should have tucked her skirt in so the waist showed better, but here is Maddie modeling her Pooh Bear Birthday skirt. For the record her shirt was just plain yellow when it started out, but at the end of the day it looked like a stain remover before picture - strawberries, tomatoes, green frosting . . . you name it she had it on herself!

She had a blast! I tossed the skirt and the shirt in the wash right after the party because they were so wrecked! Sign of good party I say! I will be posting some pictures of all of the other fun things at the party soon!